Aunt Jennifer's Tigers
By- Adrienne Rich
By- Adrienne Rich
Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen ,
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through her wool
Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.
Questions
1. What does Aunt Jennifer create in the poem?
Ans: She creates tigers on a screen (through her embroidery).
2. How are the tigers described?
Ans: They are bright, bold, and fearless.
3. What is the significance of the tigers being fearless?
Ans: They symbolize freedom and courage, unlike Aunt Jennifer.
4. What does the word “prance” suggest about the tigers?
Ans: It shows that the tigers are lively and full of confidence.
5. How are the tigers different from Aunt Jennifer?
Ans: Tigers are free and fearless, while Aunt Jennifer is oppressed and timid.
The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.
When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.
Questions
1. What does the wedding band symbolize?
Ans: It symbolizes the burden of marriage and male dominance.
2. How does the band affect Aunt Jennifer?
Ans: It makes her hands heavy and causes them to tremble.
3. What does the poet suggest about Aunt Jennifer’s life?
Ans: Her life is restricted and controlled by societal norms and patriarchy.
4. What happens to her art after her death?
Ans: The tigers she created will remain bold and free.
5. How does the poem contrast Aunt Jennifer and her tigers?
Ans: The tigers are free and fearless, while Aunt Jennifer is constrained and oppressed.
1. Prance – To move about in a lively, proud, or confident way.
2. Screen – A fabric or surface on which designs or embroidery is made.
3. Dazzling – Extremely bright or impressive.
4. Frightened – Afraid or scared.
5. Men – Represents patriarchal society or male dominance.
6. Heavy – Weighty; here it symbolizes a burden (literal and metaphorical).
7. Wedding band – A ring worn after marriage; symbolizes marital obligations or societal control over women.
8. Tremble – To shake involuntarily, often due to fear, weakness, or oppression.
9. Chivalric – Knightly or heroic; here used for tigers showing courage.
10. Will – The desire or determination; also indicates continuity beyond death (in context of art).